Senior Staff DevOps Engineer

Caris Life Sciences is dedicated to transforming cancer care and improving lives through precision medicine and innovation. They are seeking a Senior Staff Cloud DevOps Engineer to lead the design and implementation of scalable cloud-native infrastructure, focusing on AWS and Kubernetes while driving technical transformations and mentoring junior engineers.

Responsibilities:

• Architect and lead the implementation of large-scale, complex Kubernetes environments on AWS EKS, ensuring enterprise-grade availability, scalability, and security. Design and implement advanced features including multi-cluster management, service mesh architectures, and custom controllers
• Drive strategic proof-of-concept (PoC) initiatives for emerging technologies, evaluating their potential impact on the organization's technical landscape and business goals
• Lead the development of enterprise-wide standards for Kubernetes cluster lifecycle management, including upgrade strategies, security policies, and performance optimization frameworks
• Provide expert-level consultation to cross-functional teams on cloud-native application design, microservices architecture, and container orchestration strategies
• Architect and implement comprehensive, multi-layered observability solutions integrating metrics, logs, and traces. Develop predictive monitoring capabilities and establish organization-wide observability standards
• Lead the adoption of advanced Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices and oversee the implementation of sophisticated CI/CD and GitOps-based continuous delivery (e.g., ArgoCD) pipelines, including modular design patterns, reusable components, and automated testing frameworks for efficient application deployment and image management across multiple environments
• Hands-on experience with GitOps-based continuous delivery using ArgoCD (app-of-apps, sync/health management, Helm/Kustomize deployments to Kubernetes)
• Develop and execute the organization's cloud security strategy, including the implementation of zero-trust architectures, automated compliance checks, and security-as-code practices. Translate complex regulatory and compliance requirements (e.g., HIPAA, SOC2, SOX) into actionable cloud implementation plans
• Spearhead large-scale cloud migration and application modernization initiatives, collaborating with business stakeholders to align technical solutions with organizational objectives
• Identify and implement strategic opportunities for process improvements and automation across the DevOps and cloud infrastructure landscape, developing and executing long-term roadmaps to drive continuous enhancement of cloud operations and DevOps practices
• Lead critical incident response efforts and participate in on-call rotations to support and improve the reliability of critical cloud infrastructure

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• 9+ years of experience in DevOps or Site Reliability Engineering roles
• 7+ years of hands-on experience with AWS services and cloud architecture
• 7+ years of hands-on experience with Kubernetes, including deep expertise in cluster management, troubleshooting, and optimization
• Expert-level proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Go) with a track record of developing and maintaining production-grade software
• Extensive experience with Infrastructure as Code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation, AWS CDK) and ability to design scalable, modular IaC frameworks
• Deep understanding of containerization technologies and orchestration platforms, including security best practices and performance optimization techniques
• Proven experience in designing and implementing enterprise-grade CI/CD pipelines and DevOps workflows, preferred with GitLab CI, with hands-on GitLab CI/CD expertise (pipelines, runners, modular templates)
• Expert-level networking in complex AWS environments; hybrid/multi-cloud experience a plus
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex distributed systems and provide innovative solutions
• Proven ability to lead PoC initiatives and evaluate new technologies
• Demonstrated experience in creating and maintaining technical documentation and knowledge bases
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive leadership
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Word, Excel, Outlook, and general working knowledge of Internet for business use
• Hands-on experience leveraging AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude, Cursor) to accelerate engineering work, including building automations, agents, and reusable skills/workflows that improve team productivity and reduce operational toil
• Hands-on experience with GitOps-based continuous delivery using ArgoCD (app-of-apps, sync/health management, Helm/Kustomize deployments to Kubernetes)
• AWS Professional level certifications (e.g., Solutions Architect Professional, DevOps Engineer Professional)
• Kubernetes certifications (e.g., CKA, CKAD, CKS)
• Experience with multiple cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP) for multi-cloud architectures
• Deep expertise in database technologies including design and optimization of distributed database systems including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Serverless platforms
• Proficiency with specific monitoring and observability tools such as DataDog and AWS CloudWatch
• Hands-on experience with configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Chef, Puppet)
• Experience in implementing knowledge management systems or tools in a DevOps environment
• Contributions to open-source projects or personal projects demonstrating cloud expertise